Tag: 75th Anniversary

OJCS @ 75: A Night to Remember…and to Build Upon.

We are still riding high from the tremendous success and warm community vibes from Wednesday night’s 75th Anniversary Gala.  Whether you were there or not, please be on the lookout for pictures and videos and copies of the beautiful Tribute Journal.  Regardless of your relationship with OJCS, this milestone is of and for all of Jewish Ottawa – this school does not exist in a vacuum; it took and takes a community dedicated to Jewish education and the “Jewish Future” to ensure day school is a viable option for Jewish families.  Before we start look forward to the next 75 years, let me take one last opportunity to look back by sharing the words here that I was privileged to share at the event itself.  Let us go from strength to strength…

I stand before you tonight with immense gratitude and deep humility. I am now in my eighth year, standing on the shoulders of giants like Rabbi Kravetz, Rabbi Kaploun, Stan Katz, and Doris Bronstein—just to name a few of my predecessors—who made this extraordinary evening possible. It is but a quirk of the calendar that brings me to the dais as head of this special school during its 75th anniversary year. Without the monumental collective gifts of talent, time, and love from all those who have held this position, this milestone could not have been reached. I may be the one standing on stage tonight, but they are the ones who built it.

What a true blessing this year of celebrations has been! The anniversary was 75 years in the making; the planning for it has taken almost a full year. We have, and will continue to, thank the volunteers and staff who dedicated countless hours of care to ensure we could celebrate this historic event in the life of our school and our Jewish community. I would like to take a moment of personal prerogative, however, to express my deep gratitude to Randi Sherman, Leiba Metz and Julie Ross – our Gala Chairs – who willed this miracle of an evening into existence and my deep appreciation for a person for whom no words of praise are sufficient. Joanne Gorenstein has been my rock and my partner these past two years, and never has a lay leader worked or cared more. No one, except perhaps Sacha, will ever know how much dedication she has shown to ensure that the next seventy-five years of our school will match, if not exceed, the seventy-five glorious years we are honoring tonight.

We have spent the year reliving and celebrating both the past and the present, and as we’ve seen tonight, there is much to be proud of. Our alumni’s achievements astound; our volunteers’ passion is unmatched; and our faculty’s love is unparalleled. Eight consecutive years of enrollment growth validate that our present is fulfilling the promise of our past.

When you walk through the halls of nearly every synagogue and Jewish organization in this community and peruse the pictures of former lay chairs and executives, you will find our alumni. This legacy of leadership and service is just as significant as the collective academic and professional success of so many generations of Hillel Academy and OJCS Alumni. But tonight isn’t just about celebrating the past; it’s about charting the course for the future. Just as those pioneers seventy-five years ago bravely created a day school despite the obstacles, we pledge tonight to follow in their footsteps and dream in bold and vibrant colors. Like them, we will need the ongoing support of our community to make those dreams a reality.

Because this is not merely a celebration of, or for, the Day School. This is an achievement that required the vision and courage of the leaders of this community to found a Jewish day school in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1949. This moment is possible because of a Jewish community that continues to believe in the power of Jewish education. It is a dream fulfilled because of the support of a generous and forward-thinking Jewish Federation. Our hearts overflow with gratitude for the outpouring of support this anniversary has generated.

Yes, we have surpassed our expectations in this magical year in terms of fundraising but let no one think that the work of supporting Jewish education is done or even on hold. We continue to live in challenging economic times. The Generations Trust endowment for Jewish Day Schools in Ottawa, along with both Federation’s and our own Annual Campaigns, remain our most important source of funding. We hope you will be inspired to continue supporting these funds each year as a key component in sustaining the future of all our schools and Jewish Ottawa.

As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks famously said, “To defend a country, you need an army. To defend a civilization, you need education.” So now, more than ever, the work of graduating Jewishly literate and committed young men and women, with a love and passion for the People, Land, and State of Israel, is critical. Tonight, we pause to take pride in what has been, and to prepare for what is to come. As it says in the Mishnah: “Lo alecha ha’mlacha ligmor…” – “It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to exempt yourself from it” (Mishnah: Avot, 2.16).

As the proud head of the Ottawa Jewish Community School, I am inspired to do my part—alongside all of you—to carry this dream forward into the next seventy-five years.

Thank you.

Celebrating 75 Years of Teaching Excellence: One Student/Parent/Board Chair’s Perspective

[NOTE: This blog post is written by former OJCS student, current OJCS Parent and Chair of our Board of Trustees, Joanne Gorenstein.]

This year, 2024, Ottawa Jewish Community School (OJCS) is celebrating its 75th Anniversary.  As the Chair of the Board of Directors, I have been intimately involved in planning for all the various events to commemorate this momentous achievement of the school and of the Ottawa Jewish community.  When we planned the celebration of 75 years of teaching excellence (June 2nd / see flyer below), I could not help but to reminisce about my own experiences with the teachers and administration from Hillel Academy and OJCS…

I started at Hillel Academy in 1979 in Nursery, which at the time, was housed at Agudath Israel (now Kehillat Beth Israel) and I danced on the Hebrew alphabet on the floor of the kindergarten room – which I still chuckle because that flooring is still there!  In Kindergarten, my teacher was Mrs. Faigel Rosenberg.  I remember that I loved Mrs. Roseberg – I adored her.  That year, I lost my first tooth and I am sure Mrs. Rosenberg realized I had swallowed it but because she did not want me to feel bad for not having an actual tooth to show for it, she made the whole class look for it.  It is not every teacher that would care enough to do that.  That same year, my sister and brother had their b’nei mitzvah and my mother said I could invite one friend to the Saturday night party.  I chose Mrs. Rosenberg and was thrilled dancing with her. She took the time out of her weekend to be my “date”! That was the start of my experience with Hillel/OJCS teachers and how they treat all their students as extensions of their own families.

In Grade 2, my class had Mrs. Avalee Prehogan.  We thought she was the coolest teacher and each of my classmates took turns to get her attention. When Mrs. Prehogan announced mid-year that she was going to be leaving as she was pregnant, I recall my entire class started crying.  That is how much we loved her.

When I was in Grade 4, the school moved over to the Jewish Community Campus to the new school and what an adventure that was!  For the remaining four years of my education, my teachers always made every student feel special, unique and noticed.  When I went through an awkward phase and I was unsure of myself, Mrs. Glube recognized this and paid extra attention to me in a subtle way – she knew exactly what I needed.

In my last couple of years of Hillel, my teachers adjusted their approach to deal with pre-teens.  Teachers such as Mrs. Sara Briener and Mr. Murray Wilson made each of us feel valued and talked to us like adults.  I was a quiet kid and, in another environment, could have felt invisible, but I never felt this way at Hillel Academy.  My teachers spent as much time and attention on me as the smartest and the loudest of the bunch!  And with the leadership of Mr. Stan Katz, I felt like I had a zaide as a principal – not that I ever was sent to the principal.

Now I walk the halls of OJCS as a parent of an upcoming graduate and nothing has changed.  Of course, the teachers are different but their dedication and love of their students is the same.  The teachers know the names of all the students – no matter what grade – and they continue to invest the time to get to know their students and their needs to support their learning journey.  I think about Mrs. Ellie Kamil and how she not only keeps the entire school running but at the time, knows every student and nurtures each one as one of her babies – it is amazing to observe!  As I look back at my son’s OJCS journey, he has been supported, challenged and loved for nine years and I am so appreciative that he has had this experience and I know it has formed the “mensch” he is today.

In the end, the fact that I graduated over 30 years ago and my memories of my teachers are so vivid demonstrates the impact they all had on my life and on all the other graduates of Hillel/OJCS.  Teaching in a Jewish community school has unique opportunities and challenges but generation after generation, there is one constant – a love of their students.  I want to say thank-you to all the past and current teachers and administrators of Hillel/OJCS on behalf of all students for the last 75 years…please know your contributions to our lives are immeasurable.

In recognition of 75 years of teaching excellence, a community-wide celebration will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2024 at 2:00PM at KBI.  Please join us for dessert and to toast our beloved current and past teachers and staff!